


The Unspoken Deal

by Saurynn



Series: Striking Deals [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Consensual Non-Consent, Dirty Talk, Dubious Consent, M/M, Praise Kink, Rough Sex, Size Kink, Top Erwin Smith, Trust Kink, guess that's a thing, post-ACWNR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 03:02:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21092315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saurynn/pseuds/Saurynn
Summary: Levi has unleashed a beast and given it permission to ravish him whenever it pleases.But when tragedy strikes, they find that this cruel world wants to turn Erwin into a true monster.





	The Unspoken Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm back at it again with the porn-driven retelling of SnK lol. Each of these stories keeps getting longer than the last. Honestly, I find myself wishing I had written this as a single, multi-chapter story. But I wasn't sure, at the time, whether I'd continue it or not. It's kind of why I keep leaving them sort of close-ended. Not this time, however. I'm going to be leaving you with a nasty hole in your chest lol because I've already started the next story.
> 
> With that in mind... (Spoiler) the end of this gets extremely dubious in the consent department. Some of you may have a hard time reading. Just a warning.
> 
> Thank you, Levyhime, for being my beta/editor! <3
> 
> Enjoy~

The atmosphere around the barracks was rather gloomy for a few weeks following that disaster of an expedition. It couldn’t be helped. Just looking around the dining area, one could easily notice how much emptier it was than before.

The only reprieve from the depression blanketing the soldiers was the announcement of Isabel and Farlan’s engagement. The two were well-known around headquarters and had many friends in the scouts, after all. With it being right after losing so many, Farlan had had doubts on whether or not it was the best time for a wedding, but when he brought his concerns up with Levi, he’d been told that the soldiers could use a joyful distraction.

The two lovebirds didn’t require a lengthy engagement, so in a couple weeks’ time, Levi found himself walking Isabel down the aisle (she had absolutely insisted). He handed the bride off to his best friend and stood aside to watch them join their lives together. He couldn’t help but smile softly. Their happiness made it all worth it. All the fighting and the heartache. Watching the newlyweds retreat together down the aisle, Levi knew he would never regret his decision.

His eyes drifted over the crowd and, naturally, they met a pair of striking blue across the aisle, through the flying rice. The sense of gratitude that hit him nearly knocked his breath out. None of this would have been possible if Erwin hadn’t offered that deal, dragging the three of them out of the depths of the underground.

Erwin smiled at him warmly through the crowd, a knowing look crossing his features, and Levi wondered if the man could read his mind. Levi returned the smile before he even realized what he was doing.

There was an exaggerated gasp from beside him, which had him dropping the smile to glare at Petra as she began to make fun.

“Noone will believe me when I tell them I caught Heichou smiling!” She beamed at him.

Following the death of his squad, Petra (along with three others hand-picked for their skills) had been added to Levi’s team. If she had been perturbed to be replacing members that had died under Levi’s command, she never showed it.

“Ha.. ha.. Very funny.” He deadpanned.

She laughed at his attitude. “Come on, you’re allowed to be happy, you know.”

It sure didn’t feel like he should be allowed happiness some days. But, he thought, as he once again caught Erwin’s gaze, today could be an exception.

Levi went throughout the celebration with the weight of blue eyes upon him. He pretended not to notice. He enjoyed watching the festivities of drunken soldiers and dancing until he could handle the weighted stare no longer.

They hadn’t touched each other since the expedition, but as Levi’s hand found Erwin’s in the crowd in order to drag him from the room, he’d decided to remedy that.

Their coupling was drunk and sloppy and ended with Levi on Erwin’s bed straddling the man who was currently snoring. Levi was still shaking from his release and Erwin was already passed out from the booze, leaving Levi to take care of the mess across the man’s abdomen and from within himself. He mumbled discontentedly as he cleaned them up. If the man was going to stare holes into his head all night, he could have at least stayed awake longer than two seconds after the first round.

He gazed down at the slumbering mass, satisfied with his work. Last but not least, he pulled the covers up to snugly cover the sleeping giant. 

Since it was still technically his day to be happy, Levi smiled once more at the mussed blond hair sticking out of the covers before slipping his clothes back on and quietly closing the door behind him.

Levi descended the stairs to the dining area, expecting it to be cleared out, and hoping to nab another glass of wine if there was any left. But when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized there were still people up, based on the laughter that suddenly burst forth from the dining area.

As he approached, he recognized the voices of his new squad. Then he paused out in the hall when he realized they were talking about him. He sat down on the bottom step and listened.

“No, I’m serious!” He heard Petra yell as if scandalized. “My father really thinks I have a crush on him!”

He heard Oluo’s voice join in with, “Are you sure you don’t?”

“What??” She gasped at him. “Well, maybe I would if he wasn’t so incredibly OFF LIMITS!” The drunkard actually giggled.

Gunther chuckled at her. “Yeah.. I don’t think the Commander would be willing to share Levi with you.”

Levi felt his face heat up as his team laughed. Perhaps they hadn’t been quite as subtle as he’d thought when he’d pulled Erwin from the party and practically humped him all the way up to their quarters. Levi gave one fuck to few to quite be mortified.

“You guys should’ve heard me, though. I really had my dad going.” Petra sighed in a mock-dreamy tone. “Oh, father!” She was exaggerating the girlishness of her voice. “I really think Levi Heichou might be the one for me… I want to devote myself to him!”

Levi could picture her clasping her hands together to go along with her sarcastic love-struck act. He couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his lips as his team burst out laughing on the other side of the wall. He decided then that his team was actually rather cute… even if they were making jokes at his expense.

Levi briefly considered forgoing the wine, and just heading to his rooms. It would be kind of awkward to walk back in there now. But, then, he thought of the best way to get revenge. 

He pushed off the step and entered the dining area before their laughter even had time to die down. He walked right past their table, heading for the make-shift wine bar. As he passed, a hush fell over his team. As much as he wanted to see their likely pale faces, Levi forced himself to keep his eyes on the prize.

He poured himself a glass of wine, slowly, dragging it out.

“Uh.. Heichou?” He hears Eld speak up behind him. “What are you doing up so late?”

_ What are you doing back here when you left with the Commander? _Levi understood the real question. He casually turned and leaned back on the table, wine glass raised to his lips. The glass was a handy way to stop his traitorous lips from cracking another unwanted smile today as he caught the horrified expressions of his team.

They sat around the table staring at him wide-eyed. The same question was on each of their faces. _ Did he hear?? _

“The better question..” Levi began and his team sweated. “..is who is going to clean up this damn mess?” He took a swig and pretended to think on it for a moment. “I know.. Since you all still have so much energy, you should volunteer. I’m too exhausted for this shit.”

He could see the glint in Petra’s eye and knew she was dying to point out the cause of his exhaustion. But, then Gunther spoke up, “Of course, Heichou.”

Oluo groaned and thumped his head onto the table.

“Good.” Levi pushed off the table and headed for the door. “I expect this place to be spotless come morning.” 

He could feel their collective sighs as they seemed to think they were off the hook.

“Oh, and Petra...” Levi paused in the entryway, turning his head back. “Erwin told me to tell you something.”

She looked at him full of confusion. What would the Commander need to tell her of all people?

Levi turned away as he spoke. “He said to tell you, ‘I called dibs.’” 

He left the room, and about halfway up the first flight of stairs the sound of Petra screeching, “Noooooo!!” reached his ears, followed by his mens’ laughter.

This time, Levi couldn’t tell if she was being theatrical over having supposedly lost him to the Commander, or if she was being dramatic about having been caught making jokes about her commanding officer’s sex life.

\---

Over the next few weeks, they had sex a handful of times. And it was good sex, don’t get him wrong.. But Levi felt like something was lacking. At first he couldn’t put his finger on it, but when he thought back to the first time Erwin had taken him, he realized the difference. His Commander was so straight-laced, it was almost impossible to believe he was the same man who had cornered him in an alleyway their first meeting and fucked him into the mud.

And as for their second time, they had both been distraught and angry. Their emotions had fueled their lust, and for a moment Erwin had let go and given into carnal instincts.

Yet, now when they were together, it was all very calm and patient. There was no battle-driven adrenaline. No pent-up frustrations. They simply met up seeking pleasure occasionally. Levi couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Levi kept these thoughts to himself. Maybe Erwin _ was _a little straight-laced. But Levi was the strange one, here. He shouldn’t get so turned on by the idea of Erwin taking him forcefully. He tried to be satisfied with what they had.

And then one day, the solution came to him. It was cleaning day… for everyone but Erwin, that was. The Commander had more important things to be doing. He was holed up in his office most of the day, as usual, going over paperwork. Levi took on the task of cleaning Erwin’s office for him.

He opened the door, and immediately cringed at the stale air of the room. Erwin obviously hadn’t taken many breaks today. Levi circled around the desk where the man sat hunched over a stack of papers, and opened the window to let in fresh air. Behind him, he heard Erwin sigh as some papers rustled on his desk.

Levi’s eyes narrowed above the white cloth covering his lower face. Erwin would just have to get over the intrusion, because Levi had cleaning to do. He started by putting away the books scattered around the room. Some were even strewn across the floor. Levi suppressed the urge to tell Erwin off for leaving so many books lying around.

There was a stack of books on a chair to the side of the desk, but when Levi went to grab one, Erwin pulled it from his grasp. 

“Not that one.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed at him again, unimpressed by the annoyed undertone in Erwin’s voice. He reached for another book hanging off the edge of the desk. A large hand smacked down on the cover, preventing Levi from taking it.

“No.”

“Ok, what about _ this _one?” He asked, bending over to fetch a book at Erwin’s feet.

It was pulled from his hand and placed on top of the other book.

Levi yanked his face mask down so he could properly scowl at him. “Damn it, Erwin. You can’t read all these books at one time. Put some away,” he growled.

He reached for the book again and had his wrist grabbed for his effort. He wrenched it free and glared at the stubborn man. He was met with icy blue. A brief shiver went down Levi’s spine at the sight, but it also kind of pissed him off. “What the fuck is so important that you’re getting pissy when I’m just trying to straighten shit up?” He was silenced by Erwin’s hand grabbing his face. His cheeks were squished together for a moment before Levi shoved out of his reach.

“You shouldn’t speak to me that way.”

Levi could only scoff. The man was being absurd. Levi spoke this way to everyone. Erwin knew that. Faster than the other could react, Levi snatched that book right from under his nose and turned on his heel heading for the bookshelf. He stretched up on his toes to put the book in its proper place on the top shelf. The sound of the chair scraping across the floorboards was Levi’s only warning.

“Hey!” He protested as Erwin’s bulk pushed him into the bookcase, the whole shelf rattling from the force. The book was once again snatched from him while he was distracted by Erwin’s hand on the small of his back. Grasping one of the shelves, Levi couldn’t control the hardness growing in his pants from this unusual display of dominance from Erwin.

“I think this is what they call insubordination.” Erwin spoke into his ear.

Levi tsked at him. If he couldn’t hear the playfulness behind Erwin’s stern words, he might have been a little worried. But, as annoyed as Levi was over Erwin not letting him clean, he had to admit he was enjoying the idea of his Commander being angry with him. Probably enjoying it too much. Then, the idea came to him.

Levi gave an annoyed huff, and asked, “What? Are you going to punish me or something?” He really hoped Erwin would catch on and that he wasn’t too stressed out over whatever he’d been working on all day to get it up.

Erwin was silent for a moment behind him, then, The remaining distance between their bodies disappeared all at once, the book was cast aside, and arms caged Levi in. When Erwin moved his hips to grind into his backside, Levi no longer had to question whether Erwin could get it up. That was fast.

“Perhaps some discipline is in order.” Erwin said as he repeated the action.

Levi arched his back for a better angle, but otherwise tried to act unaffected by the delicious friction Erwin was creating.

“Maybe I should teach you a lesson,” Erwin drawled into his ear, “But would you really learn anything?” His words trailed off into a whisper.

Levi suppressed a shudder when Erwin’s teeth grazed his ear. The constant grinding was leaving him short of breath, but he had to answer. To his surprise, his “Fuck you” came out much weaker than he’d intended. He was supposed to be acting out to earn his punishment, but his voice betrayed him.

Erwin mistook the softness in his voice and pulled back. “Sorry, I thought…”

Levi growled in exasperation. He found his voice, putting the full force of “insubordination” into his speech. 

“Do I always have to fuckin spell it out for you, Erwin?” He spat the words out behind him. Levi looked Erwin in the eye as he said, “Fuck me.”

When he saw the resolve gathering in Erwin’s eyes, he added, “and don’t stop. No matter what I say.”

\---

Every single time Erwin saw that fire lighting those silver eyes, he was reminded of the day they met. It usually ended up with Erwin having to adjust his pants and calm himself down. But today, he couldn’t ignore his captain any longer. He’d been holed up in his office all day, forcing himself to focus on his work while his mind kept drifting to Levi, hoping he’d be free that night.

And then there Levi had been, in the flesh, distracting him from his work. Recently, Erwin was trying to be more attentive to the man, as he’d failed to catch his signals for months, causing a gap to form between them, before. But as Levi had gone about straightening up his office, bending over to pick up books off the floor, Erwin couldn’t sense any special intent from the way the man cleaned, even if the way he made himself vulnerable in Erwin’s sight was temptation, in itself. Erwin had seen Levi’s seduction methods, recognizing them, now, for what they were. But Levi was merely cleaning right now, and that fact had Erwin feeling disappointed.

So he’d returned his focus onto his work. The sounds of Levi’s cleaning went mostly ignored. But when the man began picking up closer around his desk, Erwin’s concentration was derailed once more. The way that Levi got angry when he wasn’t allowed to clean something really was cute. So, Erwin denied him a few times. Each time, Levi grew more agitated until he was full-on scolding his commanding officer. And _ there _was that fire in his eyes. The one that scorched Erwin from the inside out, reminding him of that fateful day. Levi took no shit from anyone, yet for some reason, he followed Erwin’s orders. That knowledge pleased Erwin, but it was times like these that Erwin remembered that it was Levi’s willful defiance, and the strength he possessed to back it up, which had stoked his lust for this man.

Could Levi feel it too? The friction in the air between them? It had been absent for a long while. Ever since they’d resolved their sexual intentions towards each other and began fucking on the regular, the scorching heat between them had died down. Erwin enjoyed their times together, but Levi had become docile and distant somehow, the last few times. Erwin considered that maybe Levi needed more. Needed Erwin to give him something more than just sex… This was it, wasn’t it? This fire between them now as they faced off over the misplaced books was the answer. He thought he knew what Levi wanted… he just really hoped he wasn’t wrong about this.

When Levi snatched the book away and turned his back, Erwin stalked forward, taking the opportunity to catch the smaller man off guard and pin him against the bookshelf, draping his larger body over Levi’s backside.

It was surprisingly easy, playing the angry Commander. He found he liked the way it felt to throw his new position around like he never would normally. Yes, he enjoyed playing off the power, but more than that, he enjoyed that he knew Levi was going to resist him. So long as that resistance was just an act.

Levi’s angry confirmation of “..no matter what I say” left Erwin assured that he’d been right about what Levi wanted. With nothing left to hold him back, he was determined to give a new meaning to the phrase “corporal punishment.”

Erwin attacked Levi’s uniform, taking great pleasure in disheveling the captain’s usually flawless appearance. It was cleaning day, so there were thankfully no harness straps in the way as he popped open the buttons of Levi’s shirt, slipped his hand inside, and stroked his hand down that firm chest. He held him tightly, hand against his chest, pushing their bodies flush against one another. Erwin ground his clothed dick into Levi’s rear, earning a small gasp.

“Should I take you right here,” Erwin mused, “or should I bend you over my desk?” His hand slid further down Levi’s front, tracing the muscles there. He felt the way they fluttered and tensed in reaction to his touch while he watched Levi’s fingers tighten their grip on the bookshelf. “Hmm.. maybe I’ll fuck you on my desk another day. I’d hate for my books to become disordered.”

“All this just because I touched your books?” Levi ground out the question. “Hardly seems worth the punishment.”

Erwin smirked. “No, this is for your attitude. I’m going to take you apart, and when I put you back together, maybe you’ll have gained some respect.” He punctuated his sentence with a rough push of his hips that rattled the bookshelf Levi clung to.

“I don’t- ah!- respect… filth.” Levi finally managed to get the words out, assaulted as he was by the feeling of Erwin’s impressive bulge dry humping him from behind.

Erwin tsked at him. His hand slid lower, reaching the buckle of Levi’s belt and undoing it. He pulled the belt free, other hand going to Levi’s hip to hold him still. He gripped Levi’s hip in a firm warning not to move, and removed his hand. He held Levi’s belt between both hands, folded in half. He pushed on the ends, the belt forming an O, before snapping his hands apart, ends of the belt colliding back together. The resounding _ SNAP! _caused the man before him to flinch. Levi didn’t turn to look at him like he’d expected. Didn’t say anything. Erwin took in the tenseness of his shoulders and tossed the belt aside. This thing Levi wanted from him.. it wasn’t about pain. This was about power. Control. Erwin was going to attempt to force him to submit, but Levi never would. That’s what this was, he realized. 

So he took control. Ignoring Levi’s protests, he shoved two spit-slicked fingers into the man, stretching and fucking him open with the digits. Levi’s frame trembled as Erwin teased him, coming so close to his prostate only to ignore it each twist of his fingers. Finally, Erwin pulled his fingers out and lined his dick up. He held firmly onto Levi’s waist, restraining him. Levi was losing himself, attempting to push back onto him. But Erwin held him still. Instead, he circled his hips. The tip of his cock dragged across Levi’s skin, around that puckered hole, never breaching. Eventually, Levi had had enough.

“Erwin…” he ground out. 

His grip tightened on that slender waist. “Is that how you address me?” He pressed forward, barely enough for his tip to part the outer ring of muscle without pushing in. He held the position for a moment before pulling back again.

Levi caved. “Commander, please!” he whined. For all intents and purposes, it sounded like he was begging for mercy. Begging to forgo his punishment. But the way Erwin’s hands still had to fight Levi’s hips from closing that distance was all the man needed to know what Levi truly wanted from him.

He sank into that tight heat, pushing Levi harder against the bookshelf. Levi gave a high-pitched, “Nngh!!” and lifted one knee to prop it up on one of the lower shelves, subtly giving Erwin a better angle to push even deeper. And Erwin didn’t give him a break, taking that chance to sink in to the hilt. Levi inhaled sharply as he sank home.

Without a pause, Erwin pulled back and jerked forward until he was seated fully once more. Levi cried out as his body tried to adjust to Erwin’s building pace. “You.. asshole!” Levi gasped.

“Still haven’t learned anything, have you?” Erwin smugly stated as he put more force into his movements until he was full-on thrusting.

“Ah!” Levi called out, clinging to the shelves. It was a precarious position. He had one shelf pressed into his ribcage, his knee propped up on another, hands holding on, as his other foot barely touched the ground by the tip of his boot.

The entire bookcase rattled as Erwin had grabbed an upper shelf, bracing himself as he pumped harshly in and out of his subordinate.

He couldn’t help it. Erwin was lost in the power trip that fucking humanity’s strongest gave him. This man easily slayed the titans, demanded the respect of the scouts -the world, really-, and at the end of the day, he came to Erwin and took it up the ass. Now Levi was giving him permission to bend him over and take him this way. Erwin liked to think that Levi wouldn’t allow this of just anyone.

Erwin grabbed Levi by the chin, turning his head and forcing him to watch as Erwin grabbed a book off the shelf. He held the book in front of Levi for a moment, still roughly fucking into him, before making a show of dropping it to the floor. “This is my office,” Erwin stated, “So if I want to make a mess… you have no right to complain.”

Suddenly, Erwin wrapped an arm around Levi’s chest, pulling him away from the shelf. Momentarily, Levi’s back was flush against Erwin’s chest as the man’s used his other arm to sweep all of the books off the shelf Levi had been braced against. Then, he released him. Levi’s arms landed back on the shelf, and this time there was more room for him to rest his weight on its surface.

“Brace yourself,” Erwin grunted before picking up speed. He was plowing into him, shelf shaking dangerously. Somewhere above them, another book fell off an upper shelf. Levi was gasping strangled breaths, trying to keep up with the new brutal pace.

When Levi came, it was to the harsh whisper in his ear, “I’m going to give you a real mess to clean inside here,” a finger ghosted around the place where they connected, cock sliding in and out, “...once I’m finished with you.”

And Erwin made good on his promise shortly after, coating Levi’s insides.

—-

When Levi finally came back to his senses from his post-orgasm haze, he noticed Erwin trying to catch his breath beside him. Next, his attention was called to the soreness in his back, which he ignored in favor of taking in the mess surrounding them. It was practically a crime scene. Books lay scattered around them on the floor, sacrificed in the pursuit of pleasure. Ironic how this all started because of books being out of place.

Levi pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his sore back protested the movement. Erwin must have noticed, because his voice was full of concern when he asked, “Was that.. Okay?”

Levi assumed Erwin referred to how rough he’d been, as well as the dubious nature of the little game they’d just played. Erwin really was too good, Levi decided. Even now, he still worried that Levi didn’t want the things he let Erwin do to him.

Erwin’s eyes were soft and not at all dangerous like they had been mere minutes earlier. Levi couldn’t stand the way Erwin looked at him like he was something breakable, on occasions like these. 

“Fuck’s sake, Erwin.” Levi sighed in frustration. “Get up,” he snapped.

Erwin did as told, and once he got to his feet, Levi was standing before him, arms crossed.

“Pin me.”

When Erwin’s brows furrowed, trying to understand what Levi was getting at, Levi added, “...Like you mean it.”

So, Erwin reached for him, determination in his eyes. The moment he grabbed Levi’s arm and shoved him back towards the wall, he found himself spun and hitting the wall with his own back. And, really, he wasn’t all that surprised. He knew Levi was strong, if that was the point his captain was trying to make.

Levi held him against the wall. It was a little awkward, due to their height difference, but he managed to successfully pin the larger man with his arms trapped in Levi’s grip up against the wall beside his head. “You can only hold me down when I want you to,” Levi admitted with a smirk.

“Is that so?” Erwin replied with a glint in his eye, apparently taking that as a challenge. He flexed his arms, fully intending to free himself and test that theory. But Levi’s hands tightened around his forearms, putting more force into his grip. Erwin pushed against his hold… and their arms didn’t budge.

Erwin’s brows furrowed once more as he put more force into his arms, even using the wall as leverage. Their arms shook where they connected, but even with all of Erwin’s strength, he couldn’t overpower Levi. Finally, he relented. A short whistle left his lips as he peered into Levi’s smug eyes with admiration. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

“Humanity’s Strongest,” Levi pointed out.

“Yeah, no shit.” Erwin gave a breathy laugh. A moment later, something occurred to him. He finally brought up what had been plaguing him since Levi had defeated him in that sparring match before their last expedition. “You let me catch you,” he accused. “..In the underground,” he added for clarification.

Levi raised a brow as if to say duh. “That _ was _ my plan from the start… though the fucking part was your idea. I just went along with it.”

“You let me feel guilty about that for months.” Erwin nearly pouted.

“I can’t read your mind, Erwin. My thoughts during that time revolved around wondering why the hell you were keeping your hands off me.”

This was the first time they truly spoke about the rough start to their relationship. Levi had eventually realized the reason Erwin had held back, but to hear him say it...

Levi slacked his grip on him, but before he released him fully, he leaned in and whispered in his ear, “If anyone should be worried about being taken by force... it isn’t me. I’ve worked hard to make sure of it.” Then he pulled back to look into Erwin’s eyes, making sure they understood one other. And in Erwin’s blue depths, he did find understanding. And then Levi was on the receiving end of a smile so endearing it warmed the man’s ice blue eyes. Levi had to look away.

Satisfied with their heart-to-heart, Levi pulled away from him, pulling together his appearance. He gathered up his cleaning supplies, and made a point of looking around the room, which was messier than when he'd entered. He turned to Erwin with a devious smirk.

“You win.” He gestured around the room. “I’ll stop trying to put your shit away.” And just like that, he left Erwin to clean up his own goddamn mess.

—-

After that day, it became a pattern... Levi’s “insubordination” followed by Erwin’s “discipline”. They were subtle as they could be in front of the soldiers, of course. But now that Levi knew how to get what he wanted from Erwin, he took to pushing all the right buttons.

They didn’t discuss their little arrangement after that first time. It felt like speaking about it cheapened the experience. But, whenever Erwin was frustrated or angry, he took what he wanted from Levi. Because he knew how much Levi wanted it. Many times, Levi was the one to get him riled up, for that very purpose.

There were no more doubts between them each time they stormed into Erwin’s office, or a secluded training area, or dark hallway.. Erwin hot on Levi’s heels. No more hesitation when Erwin bent Levi over and took him hard and fast on whatever surface was available in the heat of the moment. Erwin learned not to trust any of Levi’s protests, knowing full well that Levi didn’t want him to stop.

The more they did it, the more into it Erwin got. That domineering spark Levi had seen in him when they’d first met was back. 

One time, Erwin cornered him in the stable once their soldiers had cleared out after a training exercise.. Apparently Levi’s sarcastic comments throughout the day hadn’t been in vain. Erwin approached him with a predatory glint in his eye, and although Levi knew he was fucked (and was eager for it), he held onto his composure, feigning ignorance.

As Erwin backed him into an empty horse stall (which was thankfully as clean as an unused horse stall could be), Levi gave him a dirty look and demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?” He knew exactly what Erwin was going to do.

His commander stalked forward, grabbing his tiny captain by the waist and lifted. As he man-handled Levi into the stall’s wall, he admonished his subordinate. “You know what happens when you’ve been disrespectful.”

Erwin tore at his clothes as Levi gasped out a protest of, “w-wait!”

Fingers were shoved into his mouth, wetting them and silencing Levi in one go. Then Erwin pulled them out and promptly stuck them, one at a time, up Levi’s ass. Levi’s harsh breaths caught in his throat at each intrusion.

It was in moments like these that Levi knew Erwin’s true nature beneath that disguise of charismatic leadership. Erwin could be downright ruthless when he wanted to be. And he was relentless when it came to getting what he wanted. Levi had unleashed a beast, and given it permission to ravish him whenever it pleased.

“Ah!” Levi gasped, arching his back as he was hastily stretched. Then all of a sudden, those fingers were removed and Erwin was lining up. “You can’t just-”

But he could, because Levi was still loose from last night. Erwin’s cock slid in easily, and he set a brutal pace from the get go, intent on teaching Levi some manners.

Levi cried out each time his prostate was hit. He clung desperately to Erwin as the man drove deeper and deeper into his depths. He whined as he was getting close to that brink, and a weak, “Please..” shakily left his lips. Supposedly begging for the punishment to end, but secretly, they both knew he was begging the man not to stop.

When they were done, Levi half-heartedly complained about Erwin’s choice of location. “Why are you so filthy? You know I hate mud,” he muttered as he picked straw out of his uniform.

Erwin softly apologized, but from the mischief behind his eyes, Levi had the suspicion that the apology meant jack shit. 

As they left the stable, they raised eyebrows at each other. The door was ajar.

\---

They didn’t dwell on the stable door, figuring it was the wind or one of them just forgot to latch it. That was why, when Erwin sat down at breakfast the next morning, he didn’t understand when Petra plopped herself down on the seat across from him, glaring daggers. He ate his breakfast in silence, pointedly ignoring her staring throughout the meal. It wasn’t until she finished eating and got up, finally speaking her mind, that things started to fall into place for Erwin.

“One should not take that which is not given,” the woman said cryptically, giving him one last sneer before departing.

Erwin was left practically gaping at her retreating back. Her meaning, while seemingly vague at first, was rather clear to Erwin. Memories of the stable last night flashed through his mind, ending with the cracked stable door. He cringed inwardly as he replayed the scene in his mind, knowing full-well what that would have looked like to someone who stumbled across them.

Erwin dragged a weary hand down his face, partly to hide his embarrassment. Levi had told him that his team was aware that they were sleeping together. He could handle that. What he couldn’t handle was having his subordinates think he was forcing himself on Levi, without knowing Levi enjoyed it.

He looked up and searched the room for Levi. He needed to know. When Erwin found him, he was leaning in the doorway, watching Erwin with an amused expression hat told him he already knew. Erwin frowned back at him. 

He stood, turned in his breakfast tray, and left the room, Levi following after. They talked with hushed voices in a secluded corner.

“You were looking awfully pale there, Erwin.” Levi teased.

“Petra knows,” Erwin stated, getting right to the point. “Er, well, she _ thinks _she knows what’s going on between us.”

“I know. She came to me first. She sat beside me at breakfast and put her hand on mine and told me she’d stand by me whenever I’m ready to stand up to you.” Humor reached his voice. “I told her I just couldn’t do it.”

Erwin sighed a tired sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is _ serious _, Levi.”

“I know,” Levi said, “I guess I just wanted to see your reaction. I was nearby just in case she started to make a scene. I wouldn’t have let her tarnish your upstanding reputation,” he teased.

Erwin grimaced.

“Hey,” Levi assured, “We’ll go clear this up with her. It’ll be fine.”

And wasn’t that awkward, having to go tell his squad member that he liked it when Erwin forced himself on him. It was bad enough his squad knew they were together. Now Petra knew the nature of their relationship. She didn’t judge when he told her, however. She _ did _ seem concerned things could easily get out of hand, though, and urged them to talk about boundaries. 

They never did.

—

Months passed by. Their little unspoken deal worked wonders for their stress relief. They were able to let off some steam whenever shit went wrong, or they lost some funding, or when they had to deal with the pompous aristocrats of the inner wall.

Currently, Levi was dealing with one of those said pompous assholes. Levi especially hated having to go on those business trips within wall Sina. However, his title as Humanity’s Strongest made it essential for his presence at these disgustingly elegant balls.. He wondered if they knew the kinds of lives, the kinds of suffering, going on far beneath their feet in the underground while they indulge themselves with wasteful finery.

He was forced to stand amongst these wealthy fools as if he belonged, when it was so obviously otherwise. He stood quietly as they fawned over Humanity’s Strongest, giving him back-handed compliments. At the same time that they praised his talents for killing titans, they also mocked him for his upbringing. They mocked the scouts as a whole, despite the fact that more than half of them were responsible for funding them out of their own pockets at least once. They sponsored them secretly, holding out hope that the scouts would set them free from the walls. Even those with lavish lifestyles longed for more of the world.

And Erwin preyed upon those hidden desires. He promised a way out of the walls. He promised to uncover the truth of the titans. He spoke of seeing vast lands outside the wall, free for the taking. Riches, untouched by humanity. Whatever they needed to hear.

Of course, some of these nobles were more than content with their own paradise within their walls. They neither believed the scouts could do anything about the titans, nor did they want them to. They merely saw the Survey Corps as an opportunity to show off how charitable they were. Such was the case of the asshole currently talking down to Levi. Metaphorically, and literally. The nobleman, Thomas Delani, was tall enough even without the ridiculous tophat on his head. His breath reeked of alcohol as he went on to tell Levi how much he believed in him to make sure his money didn’t go to waste on the next expedition. When Delani put a hand on his shoulder and gave the most insincere condolences Levi had ever heard for their losses last month… Levi had to force himself from relieving the man of his arm.

Levi shook with barely-bridled fury. It had been a long evening, and his patience was wearing thin. In the background of his vision, Levi caught a glimpse of the wings of freedom. Instinctively, his eyes focused on that familiar visage, seeking something to focus on besides the hand on his shoulder, as the noble prattled on. 

Across the room, Erwin was smooth-talking his way into one of the nobles’ pockets. None of them could see past those charming smiles and charismatic words. None of them saw Erwin. 

As if feeling Levi’s eyes on him, Erwin looked up. His eyes narrowed just in the slightest as they took in the situation. He saw the hand on his shoulder and the look in Levi’s eye just begging for permission to kill this asshole.. Erwin turned his head subtly shaking ‘no’ in a way that the noble-woman talking to him wouldn’t notice. Then he turned his attention back to her, leaving Levi to deal with his own problems.

Levi bristled. Of course, he knew he had to be polite to this asshole to keep getting his money. There was no way he could give the guy the beating he so wanted to give him. But, damn if being told ‘no’ like that didn’t make him feel like a dog. It wasn’t like Levi was stupid enough to actually do it.

Yet, when the man still held his shoulder in his grip two minutes later, Levi couldn’t help but put a little bit of extra force into his own grip when he slowly pulled that hand off of him.

“Thank you, sir,” Levi spoke in a strained, overly polite tone, “you are too kind.”

And just like that, the peace of the ballroom shattered when Delani cried out in pain. Left and right, nobles turned to look at them in shock. But, none of them could match Levi’s own shock. He hadn’t really gripped him _ that _ hard. But the man was holding his hand as if it was broken, hunched over and making a scene.

“What’s _ wrong _with you?!” his wife yelled at him accusingly as she held onto her husband.

“My hand!” The man cried.

Levi looked down at his own hand in shock. He really hadn’t used that much strength, had he? No. There was no way. The man had to be acting. 

“Oi. What are you playing at?” Levi hissed.

The man flinched away from him as if afraid. “Alright! I’ll keep sending you funding!”

“Hah??” Levi growled, confused and growing annoyed.

Around them, onlookers had gathered and whispers were growing in volume. Levi looked around and realized what was happening. He was being set up. Delani either wouldn’t, or couldn’t continue giving them money for some reason, but was too embarrassed to just stop his support. He’d always boasted of his benevolence for funding the Scouts, and nobles had a reputation to uphold, after all. This charade was just going to be his excuse.

Whatever the case, it looked bad for Levi. He didn’t know what to do in this situation. In the underground, he’d have just ran. Probably would’ve looted anyone in his path on the way out the door, too. But that wasn’t an option. He couldn’t fight _ or _run. Levi’s heart picked up pace with anxiety, the more the noble wailed and the louder the whispers and mumbles grew around them. More important than the crowd’s blame, Levi feared…

He turned his head to see Erwin making his way through the crowd. Levi immediately looked away. Because, Erwin looked angry. And for the first time, it didn’t turn him on. The sight froze his bloodstream. Would Erwin believe him? 

As his commander approached, Levi prepared to explain himself. But when Levi opened his mouth to speak, Erwin held his hand up to silence him. The commander’s attention was on the two nobles.

“Delani, my old friend,” Erwin greeted pleasantly, “How have you been?” It was like a switch had flipped, fake smile planting on Erwin’s face, so well-forged most people would be clueless to the beast it masked.

The noble appeared affronted by Erwin’s carefree demeanor. “How have I been?!” 

“I heard you’ve been having a hard time lately.” Erwin brushed off the man’s confusion with a tone of sympathy.

“I don’t know what..” the man began, hesitantly.

“I apologize if my subordinate was rude,” Erwin continued, placing a hand on Levi’s shoulder, “He’s no good at parties.” He chuckled as if this was all some joke.

Levi couldn’t help but notice that Erwin’s large hand covered the place that the noble’s had taken up earlier. He took the firm squeeze as the order it was. _ Be quiet and leave this to me. _

Erwin continued, “You should have come to see me...” he held his hand out politely for a greeting, “...it’s been a long time since we’ve spoken.”

Delani looked perplexed by Erwin’s words. Almost absentmindedly, he received Erwin’s handshake as he spoke. Levi watched as they shook hands in greeting like the long-time friends they supposedly were. When Erwin gripped the noble’s hand firmly and held it for a long moment, Levi smirked.

The gathered onlookers slowly dispersed as it appeared that Delani’s injury had been greatly exaggerated, and that a dull conversation was about to take place between the Survey Scouts commander and another potential benefactor.

“...understand your situation isn’t ideal, and we won’t hold it against you if you held off on donations while-”

Erwin was cut off from the smooth-talking he’d began as the noble ripped his hand away, furious at being caught.

“Tch! Well-played… but you won’t be receiving any more donations from me.”

With that, Delani stormed out of the ballroom, pulling his wife along with him. Levi breathed a short sigh of relief.

“Your friend’s an asshole,” Levi said.

“Him?” Erwin smirked, “Don’t know the guy.”

“You-!” Levi didn’t even know what to say, knowing he was being teased. Erwin was too good at this. Whereas, Levi had just frozen up. He wondered why Erwin even brought him along to these things. Humanity’s Strongest or not, he wasn’t made for sweet-talking the upper class like Erwin was so skilled at. But Erwin was looking down at him with a soft smile, and Levi supposed maybe he just didn’t want to be alone with all these rich assholes. “Yeah right, “Levi scoffed, “That guy gives- or _ gave _\- you money”

“You’re right,” Erwin conceded with a laugh, “he was the last one on my list to talk to today, actually. What a perfect way to end the night.” Sarcasm coated his words.

“Are you ready to go?” Erwin asked.

“Yeah, like two hours ago.”

On the long carriage ride back to headquarters, Levi reflected back on the incident in the ballroom. With his chin in his hand, he stared out the window, into the dusk scenery that passed by. He thought back to the cold feeling that had settled into his veins when he’d thought Erwin was truly mad at him. What a disgusting feeling. He normally didn’t give a shit what people thought about him, so that was something he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t stand the idea that Erwin might’ve taken the noble’s side. Might’ve believed that Levi had behaved in such a way when he knew how important getting funding was. He couldn’t stand that moment thinking Erwin didn’t trust him.

...But Erwin _ had _trusted him.

Levi lifted his head off his hand, to look at Erwin across the aisle. He was surprised to find those blue eyes, seeming to shine in the darkness, watching him. The surprise was enough to make him blurt out the question in his head.

“How did you know?”

“Hm?”

“-that the noble was faking, I mean. How did you know?”

“Besides the obviously bad acting?”

Levi stared at him, disbelieving. It had seemed authentic enough, to him. Authentic enough to get the entire ballroom whispering accusingly at him.

“Of course I had my doubts,” Erwin gave, “You did look like you wanted to murder him, after all.”

“I _ did _ want to murder him,” Levi confirmed. “So, how did you know I didn’t do it, despite your warning?”

Erwin smiled, knowingly. “I didn’t see what happened, but Levi..” his eyelids lowered _ just so _, “I know you follow my orders when they’re important.”

When Erwin looked at him like that, something stirred in Levi’s gut. Something that made him want to follow all of Erwin’s orders until the day he dies. The air seemed to heat between them as they watched each other in the darkness of the carriage. After a long moment, Erwin reached a hand up, drawing the curtain closed and leaving them illuminated only by the light of the lantern.

“Undress,” He commanded in a voice that left no room for argument.

Lust shot straight to Levi’s core. This wasn’t their usual game. Not exactly. He kept his eyes on Erwin as the man watched him with sharp eyes. Nervousness buzzed through Levi’s fingertips as they undid the buttons of his dress shirt as his commander had ordered. Yes, it was still the game. Because Erwin would never use his commander voice on him for this, if it wasn’t. But, normally, Erwin just took. He didn’t make Levi give.

As Levi silently undressed, so did Erwin. When their clothing was all on the carriage floor, Levi sat back and stared at Erwin, who was watching him with a gleam in his eye. 

“Come here,” Erwin finally spoke, patting his thigh, making his intentions clear.

Levi swallowed thickly as he met that blue gaze. In this situation… did he obey? Levi wasn’t sure what to do, for once. Normally, he got Erwin angry by disobeying _ beforehand _ , and _ then _ he got fucked for it. 

“That’s an order,” Erwin added, voice low.

Shivers crawled up Levi’s spine. He wanted to follow this man’s every order. So, he did. He rose up, nearly losing his balance as the carriage hit a bump. Large hands, found his waist, steadying him and guiding him down to straddle Erwin’s lap. The larger man had scooted forward to the edge of his seat to allow room for Levi’s legs to wrap around him.

“Good,” Erwin whispered, and Levi was so distracted by the feeling of Erwin’s already thickening length nudging him where he sat, that he didn’t notice Erwin grab his wrist until he’d pulled Levi’s hand up and sucked his fingers into his own mouth. Levi sucked in a breath as Erwin swirled his tongue around his fingers, never breaking eye-contact.

With a wet pop, Erwin released his fingers from his mouth and returned them to Levi. “Now, open yourself up for me,” Erwin commanded, causing blood to shoot to Levi’s groin as well as heat his cheeks. 

This was… not the usual. Levi was used to giving up his control to Erwin. That was sort of the point to their game. But this time, it appeared Erwin intended to control him, not physically, but verbally. For a tense moment, Levi considered backing out. It was still incredibly arousing, being controlled this way. But, somehow it felt more demeaning. Likely, due to the whispers of those who called Levi the commander’s dog. But more likely, due to the feeling he’d gotten earlier just that day when Erwin had told him “no”, and he’d _ felt _ like a dog. All of his life, Levi had taken pride in being uncontrollable. From growing up stealing to survive, to defying the military police. It was only Erwin who he handed his control over to. At first, Levi had thought it was just about getting over losing his physical control, but now, Levi understood. He allowed this- _ craved _ this- because Erwin was worthy.. And because Levi trusted him. 

With that having been worked out in Levi’s mind, as Erwin patiently waited, Levi relaxed and did as he was told. He reached behind himself, and pushed a finger into his hole. It had been a few days for them, so it took a few moments for him to loosen up enough for the second finger. Erwin didn’t seem to be in any sort of rush, just slowly kneading the flesh of Levi’s ass, as the man “opened himself up” for him.

Now, fully relaxed, Levi leaned forward, resting his head on Erwin’s shoulder as his fingers worked in and out of himself. He hadn’t had to do this for himself in a long time, having Erwin to do it for him.. But he hadn’t forgotten how. He rubbed against his prostate until he was panting into Erwin’s skin. As his breathing got harsher, and his fingers moved faster, Erwin suddenly grabbed his wrist, stilling him.

“That’s enough.”

Levi huffed a short whine, as he’d been getting close. His hand was pulled away, and Erwin lifted him by his hips once more, lining them up. Ever patient, Erwin slowly lowered Levi onto him. And although, Levi had taken his time fingering himself, Levi’s hands were small, and Erwin’s cock was… not.

The stretch was intense, and Levi gripped Erwin’s shoulders hard, letting him know. Of course, Erwin could feel it for himself, how tight Levi felt around him. He stopped, halfway in, to give Levi time to adjust. 

Levi briefly considered how this was the most gentle Erwin had ever been during their games. But it seemed the rules had changed, somewhat, and Levi was still learning just how. 

Levi winced as the carriage hit a rather large bump, reminding them where they were, and causing the hard length inside of him to shift deeper. 

“Shh,” Ewin shushed him, rubbing circles into his hips.

Fuck, Levi almost preferred to just get it over with. Like ripping off a bandage. With that in mind, he put his hand over Erwin’s. “I can take it,” he breathed into his neck. 

On cue, Erwin lowered Levi’s hips until they were flush, his cock seated fully within his subordinate. Levi held his breath, as it pushed in, then panted as he finally released it. If Levi didn’t know any better, he’d think Erwin’s cock was larger than normal today. He knew it was just because they’d not done this in a while, that it felt that way.

Slowly, Erwin began to rock his hips beneath Levi. While it wasn’t quite like getting pounded into, like he was used to, the friction was delicious, and it had Levi ready to moan if it weren’t for the fear of being heard by their driver. Instead, he pressed his lips into Erwin’s shoulder to muffle his noises. But when Erwin found out what he was doing, he took a hand off his waist to pull Levi’s head back. 

“Let me hear you.” Erwin ordered.

Levi stared at him, darting his eyes towards where the driver would be and back. Erwin seemed to get his point, yet he didn’t release Levi’s head as he bucked sharply up into him.

“Ah!” Levi couldn’t stop his voice.

“That was an order,” Erwin warned.

“Y-yes sir,” Levi finally complied.

And didn’t _ that _ do something to Erwin’s self-control. He released Levi’s hair, but his subordinate obediently kept his head where he’d left it, neck arched, chin tilted up. Perfect for Erwin to lavish his attentions on Levi’s throat as he began to thrust up into that tight heat in a steadily building rhythm. And, as ordered, Levi let Erwin hear him. Each time his prostate was hit, he let Erwin hear it.

Another bump in the road combined with a thrust, caused Levi to cry out and throw his head back. He almost fell off Erwin’s lap, had the man not caught him, and had Levi not locked his ankles behind Erwin’s back. But instead of guiding him back up, Erwin pushed. With one hand on Levi’s chest, and the other supporting the small of his back, he pushed the man backwards into a full-on backbend. 

“What are y-” 

On instinct, Levi’s body fought to correct itself against the imbalanced position. His arm flew back, bracing against the opposite seat. His abdominal muscles flexed to hold himself up, resulting in a rather tight squeeze on the cock within, and a long groan from its owner.

“Stay.” Erwin held his upper body in position with his hand on his chest.

Levi looked up to meet Erwin’s gaze, face flushed and wide-eyed. How was he supposed to stay like this? He’d pull a muscle or something, and the angle was already bordering on too much. But Erwin’s eyes held no room for argument. So, despite his body’s natural disagreement, Levi stayed.

Erwin’s arm on his waist helped support him as he held his position even as Erwin’s other hand left his chest. It slid down (or _ up _ in this current position) Levi’s body, coming to rest on his abdomen. His muscles were all still flexing, tensed by the risk of falling.

“Relax your muscles,” Erwin ordered.

Levi didn’t see how, but he attempted to follow that impossible order. He flexed the arm braced against the carriage in preparation, and held onto Erwin’s thigh with his other hand as he forced his abs to relax.

\---

Erwin sighed in relief as the death-grip on his cock released. Once he was sure that Levi wasn’t about to fall, he rolled his hips. Levi’s head fell back with a moan, so Erwin did it again. 

Erwin looked down where his hand hovered over Levi’s middle. Once again, like that time in the treehouse, Erwin was mesmerized by the sight of his cock moving within Levi’s belly. Over and over again, he ground his cock as deep as it would go into his subordinate. Their position didn’t allow for anything but short thrusts, but they were _ deep, _ and Erwin could _ see _ just how deep. If Erwin placed his thumb _ just so _ , he could _ feel _ it.

All the while, he kept checking Levi’s face for any sign of displeasure, of which he saw none. 

Levi was doing so well for him. He could see the man’s arm beginning to shake from holding himself steady for so long, but he was staying right where Erwin had put him. He was letting little cries fall from his lips at every push of Ewin’s hips, _ just as he’d ordered him. _

“You’re.. So.” _ thrust. _ “Fucking **.** ” _ thrust. _ “ **Good.**” Erwin practically growled the words as he punctuated each one with a push of his hips. And on the last word, a guttural moan was ripped from Levi’s throat. For a moment, Erwin actually worried that the driver could’ve heard and would stop to check on them. Thankfully, the carriage did not stop. So neither did Erwin. For, he’d just found something out about Levi.

\---

Levi had gotten so used to being told how bad he’d been while getting fucked… which was a turn on. But this. THIS. Erwin called him good, and Levi _ lost it. _

And the praise kept coming. 

“So obedient for me.” Erwin’s voice was thick with the praise. “Doing the impossible…” As he continued rocking his hips into him, Erwin accented his remark with a brush of his hand down (up, in this case) the curve of Levi’s front, stopping just shy of Levi’s neglected cock, which rested against Erwin’s own abdomen, untouched. Levi whined at the teasing.

There was a heavy pause, and then, “...Cum for me,” Erwin demanded, thrusting hard.. hand still just shy of Levi’s cock.

...and Levi came on command. His whole body tensed up from the violent pleasure, abdomen once more squeezing down on the cock within. He shook as Erwin continued to grind into him, coaxing more pleasure from him, while he whispered soft praises. Levi probably would’ve screamed if his voice hadn’t suddenly seemed to stop working. The only thing that escaped was a strangled sound. If this was Levi’s reward for following Erwin’s orders, he’d never disobey him again.

Then his arm gave out. 

Erwin immediately adjusted, saving him from the fall and taking him into his arms. As Levi came down from his high, he registered first that Erwin was properly fucking him, now. He was laid back, upper back resting on his own seat. His hips were lifted into the air with his knees having found their way over Erwin’s shoulders as the man fucked down into him. 

Secondly, he realized that he’d failed. Erwin had commanded him to stay that way, and he’d let go. Levi raised his arm, covering his eyes with the back of his wrist in shame.

“I’m sorry.” Levi whispered, voice hoarse.

Immediately, Erwin slowed his pace. “What? No!” Erwin disputed, sounding shocked. He pulled Levi’s arm away from his face. “Shit, I didn’t mean to stop.”

Stop? Levi wasn’t sure what Erwin meant, as the man was still fucking him, albeit slower now.

Then, Erwin turned his head and placed his lips upon Levi’s thigh. He planted a soft kiss, which had Levi’s mouth falling open. “So good,” Erwin whispered against Levi’s skin. He lay his cheek against Levi’s thigh, as his hands wandered over Levi’s sides. “Beautiful,” Erwin stated. Levi swallowed as Erwin looked into his eyes. “Perfect,” Erwin breathed almost as if in admittance.

This was still the game… right?

Levi wasn’t entirely sure what this was, but he recognized the liquid forming behind his eyes as the unbidden tears they were. What the fuck?

He turned his face away, hoping Erwin didn’t see. However, judging by the soft “Damn it” followed by Erwin’s new, almost desperate pace, Levi suspected he knew.

When Erwin came, it was with the soft grunt of Levi’s name. As always. His name was ever on Erwin’s lips like a plea when he came. For what, Levi wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to know. Did he?

Erwin pulled out, letting Levi’s legs down to the carriage floor as he fell back into his own seat. Levi lay there, boneless, cum dripping out of him. He couldn’t find the energy to care. Killing titans was one thing. Taking dick was another entirely. Especially when the dick in question was a titan in its own right. He was so glad he had tomorrow off.

They let themselves cool off, but when they realized they were getting close to their destination, Erwin began gathering their clothes, sorting them out into two piles. Levi tried to sit up as Erwin started dressing, but his arm shook where it was propped under him.

“Shit,” he breathed out a soft laugh as he collapsed back against the seat.

Erwin chuckled at him as he did up his buttons. “Wow,” he said, “Really?”

“Yes, really!” Levi hissed at him playfully.

“You should work out more,” Erwin teased. As if.

“Why?” Levi huffed. “I thought you said I was _ perfect _.”

Erwin’s answering smile was rather ambiguous.

Levi tried to sit up again, this time managing it despite his shaky arms. He tried to pull his pants on, but gave up halfway. As if his sweaty legs weren’t making it hard enough to get the pants up, his abdominal muscles were sore, too, making it difficult to keep his hips off the seat. He groaned in frustration. “Too tired for this shit.” He looked over to find Erwin fully-dressed and smirking at him. “Don’t look so smug. The gravity did all the work.”

“Oh..?” Erwin leaned forward. “Did gravity do this?” Without warning, he stuck his finger into Levi’s loose hole. Levi jerked, still overly sensitive. Erwin pulled his finger away, bringing trail of sticky cum with him. Levi could only stare, appalled, as Erwin stuck his finger into his own mouth.

“Ugh.. How did I get stuck with someone so disgusting?” Levi complained.

“You agreed to it.”

“Thought you said that wasn’t part of the deal?” Levi teased.

“Well. No, of course not. That’s-” Erwin faltered.

“Shut up and help me, would ya?”

Erwin acquiesced, helping Levi into his clothes with only a couple of unnecessary touches. They arrived at HQ late into the night, when everyone would be sleeping. So, with no one to witness, Erwin carried a bone-weary Levi, bridal-style, out of the carriage. The smaller man draped himself across Erwin’s chest, head resting on his shoulder, arms around his neck. Erwin held Levi’s useless legs in his arms. One look at their driver’s face told them he’d heard enough, and now seen enough, to have an idea of what had happened within the carriage. Levi felt Erwin shift his legs to free one arm. As he drifted off, he heard the jingle of coins and Erwin’s voice mutter, “For your silence.” 

As Erwin carried him up to his room and gently tucked him into bed, Levi once again questioned himself.

Was that all really just a part of the game?

—-

With their ongoing unspoken deal, Levi was finally getting what he’d wanted from Erwin since that day in the underground. To top it all off, he’d also gotten a sense of belonging and someone he could call a close companion. Levi was content.

And then the news came later that year. Wall Maria had fallen.

It happened when they were outside the walls on an expedition. Perhaps, if they had been there, they could have stopped it. Perhaps not so many lives would have been lost if the scouts had been there instead of just the useless military police. There was no way they could have known it would happen, but of course, Erwin Smith still managed to blame himself.

Erwin took it upon himself as his own responsibility to figure out the mystery of these new titans and somehow reclaim the wall. He threw himself into the work, and the survey corps knew no rest.

The fall weighed heavily on everyone within the walls. There were too many mouths to feed, and the economy suffered. Without any other solution easily available to them, the King ordered an expedition to reclaim Wall Maria, led by the survey corps and manned by the refugees. To anyone without their head in the sand, it was obvious what it was: a culling. Erwin knew this, but he still tried to make use of their sacrifice. However, their numbers meant nothing without the proper training or equipment. Even if their sheer numbers could have killed every single titan in the wall, they still had no way to seal the hole. More titans would just come. In the end, the King got what he wanted. Of the 250,000 sent out, only 100 survived. 

It all weighed heavily on Erwin’s shoulders. Levi supported him the best he could, standing by his side, unwavering in his faith. The world needed, more than ever, someone who could bear the heavy weight of sacrifice. And Erwin was just that man. Levi watched as he closed himself off more and more in order to be the leader he needed to be. To make the hard choices that needed to be made. Levi respected Erwin for it, but it hurt to watch. He began to fear that it would become too much and Erwin would lose himself. 

Years went by, and their sex life was put on the back-burner as they fought for the restoration of humanity. There was barely a moment to breathe between planning expeditions and dealing with appeasing the worries of the aristocrats who funded them. It was the same old story, except now there was the pressure to somehow regain Wall Maria. That, and trying to answer the peoples’ questions about the colossal and armored titans. Their new squad leader, Hanji Zoe was a great help with that. They might not understand those new titans yet, but with the addition of Hanji in the scouts, they had someone who could advance their understanding of titans in general.

And thus, their expeditions branched out to include the capture of titans for Hanji’s experiments. It was a risky business, but it could provide them with some much-needed knowledge. Lately, it seemed like every time they learned something new about the titans, they just added two new questions about them.

Their last couple attempts at capturing a titan had ended in failure. Hanji studied them from afar as much as they could, but they really needed to get their hands on a new one since their last one had ended up dying.

So, that was the primary goal of their current expedition. They were outside Wall Rose, in an abandoned town, clearing the area to lower the risk while attempting to capture one. Levi was ordered to stay by Hanji’s side while they scouted out a titan that would work for their experiments. He was only supposed to act in an emergency, prioritizing the scientists’ own mission. He didn’t like being forced to leave the titans to the other scouts. He trusted his own squad not to get themselves killed in a situation like this, but shit happens, he knew this. 

Erwin was off somewhere, setting up a temporary base to lead the mission from. Capturing and transporting took a lot of time and planning. They would be there for a while. So Levi was left babysitting the mad scientist, ensuring Hanji didn’t get themselves killed trying to hand-pick their favorite titan. He didn’t like it.

He didn’t like it when he heard the sounds of a scout screwing up and getting eaten in the distance. He didn’t like seeing titans wandering about freely while scouts struggled with taking them down. He didn’t like having to stay put, when he knew he could take them down easily himself and not have to risk more lives than necessary. But Levi followed orders.

...Up until the moment the soldiers started panicking because the titans just kept coming. He could see them becoming sloppy in their movements. He spotted his own squad moving into a dense area of titans to aid the scouts there, and he made up his mind.

“Hanji!” He called, “forget your selection for now. Go report to Erwin that the number of titans in the area is too high. I’m making the choice. We’re putting the mission on hold until the area is more secure. I’m gonna go help.”

Hanji nodded in understanding, seriousness falling into their features. They took off in opposite directions. 

Levi rushed to help the scouts, but for one in particular, he was too late. He arrived just in time to witness the man hanging from a titan’s maw, still putting up a fight to the very end. Levi went straight for that titan’s neck. His squad, having noticed him, joined him on the rooftop. He directed Petra to tend to the wounded and the rest of his squad to take down a titan coming up on their right. He would deal with those gathering to their left on his own.

Looking at the fallen soldiers below, and back up to see the titans stumbling towards them, stupidly blinded by the opportunity of an easy meal, it was all to easy for Levi to cut them down. They likely didn’t even see him coming.

He was able to bridle his cold fury, but it teemed just beneath the surface. Every time he looked into those dumb, lifeless eyes of the titans, he wondered what exactly his men were dying for. What humanity was dying for. These things weren’t even living. They just consumed without even needing to in order to survive. It was infuriating. But Levi didn’t let his rage consume him, or even show for that matter. Because letting your anger guide your movements got you killed. Levi knew better. He was a cold reaper of death, ending the titans’ miserable existence one slice of the neck at a time. One day, he hoped, it would be enough.

He did not know the name of the dying man lying before him, but he vaguely remembered seeing him around the barracks. He shouldn’t have had to die. Levi should’ve been there sooner. He shouldn’t have been sitting out of the fight in the first place. As he clasped the man’s bloodied hand in his own, he let his frustrations get the better of him. He felt responsible for giving this soldier peace to die with, even if his words felt hollow. He could not say for sure that anything good would come of this mission to justify this man’s death, but he _ did _ say it. He couldn’t say for sure that there would come a day when the last titan would be killed, yet he vowed it would be by his hand. Before he realized it, the man was gone, departed from this world, and Levi was speaking his lies to no one. Because they felt like lies. He felt like a liar. 

With the area cleared, Levi made his way towards the temporary base where he knew he’d find Erwin and Hanji. Preserving gas, he walked. And with every step, he felt his resolve wavering. He didn’t want to see Erwin. The past two years had taken their toll on all of them, but Erwin felt changed the most. There had always been a coldness to him which was necessary for someone in his position. It took a lot to be able to send men to their deaths over and over again for years. And Levi knew that Erwin cared. Underneath those blank icy eyes, the man cared a lot. Levi was sure of it. But the man was relentless in his goals. Lately, it seemed like more and more, the ends justified the means. Soldiers’ lives were lost for his cause- more than there could have been, had more care been taken-, and Erwin didn’t bat an eye. He didn’t understand what drove Erwin so hard that he would cut his humanity off in such a way as to allow good men to die unnecessary deaths.

When he walked into their temporary base, Erwin took one look at his carefully blank face and blood-soaked sleeve and turned to Hanji. “Go make preparations. We’ll be with you shortly.”

The door closed behind Hanji, leaving the two in a tense silence. There had been a lot of tense silences lately. Levi just stood by the door, quietly watching as Erwin messed with a couple of documents laying across an open map of the town. Something was brewing. Levi wasn’t sure what it was or who it would spill from, but he could feel it coming.

Today’s plan had been a sore subject between them since its conception. Levi didn’t agree with being sat out of the fight. He’d wanted to clear the area and _ then _ begin working on catching Hanji a titan or two. It would have been safer. Less deaths. But Erwin had wanted to be quicker. Always in a rush nowadays. Always tensed for something that was coming, though Levi knew not what. 

Levi didn’t go against Erwin. Not since Wall Maria fell. He followed his orders without question. But today, he could not just stand by and let more soldiers die. Surely Erwin would understand. It wasn’t like his plan had accounted for all of the extra titans anyways. Plans changed sometimes. It had been necessary. So why did he feel a coldness emanating from Erwin that warned of a coming storm?

“You’ve set back our mission quite a bit,” Erwin calmly stated, eyes never leaving whatever was so interesting on his desk.

Levi’s shoulders tensed defensively, but his fists clenched in anger. “Look at me!” It would have been a shout if it hadn’t come out as a hissed whisper.

Blue eyes shot up from the papers and landed on him, widening fractionally.

Levi took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He walked over and sat in the chair in front of the desk. He had Erwin’s full attention, eyes never leaving him as he moved. He used that time to consider how to approach this diplomatically. It was clear to him that Erwin was displeased with him. Levi propped his feet up on the edge of the desk to appear less unsettled than he actually was.

“Do you know whose blood this is?” Levi finally settled on asking, lifting his sleeve for Erwin to see.

Erwin’s lips stretched into a grim line as he waited for Levi to tell him who the blood belonged to, suspecting the worse.

Levi released him from his suspense, casually saying. “I don’t know. Well- I didn’t know his name.” He said it flippantly, looking at a tumbled bookshelf in the corner of the room, but his voice shook. When he looked back at Erwin, the man was watching him with his brow creased, not sure what Levi was so upset about if he didn’t even know the man who died. Levi could see it clearly on Erwin’s face, the apathy towards just another fallen soldier. He hated it. How long had that apathy been growing inside of Erwin? He’d always thought it had been a cover, necessary for a commander to remain strong in the eyes of his followers. And perhaps, once, that’s all it was. And Erwin hid behind it for so long that it became real.

Finally, unable to bear those questioning eyes any longer, Levi dropped his legs from the desk and stood up. He leaned over the desk and placed his hand over Erwin’s chest.

“Erwin…” He looked up into those blue depths. His voice became hard. “Where is your heart?”

A pause. And then Erwin was circling the desk.

If Levi expected anything at all, it was to be brushed aside. Or maybe he had hoped Erwin would get angry and vehemently deny Levi’s accusation. But Erwin didn’t speak. Suddenly, Levi was pulled backwards and forced roughly back into the chair. 

The last thing that had been on his mind was their games. It had been so long since they'd played, after all. Levi had nearly forgotten. But it seemed Erwin had not. It seemed he mistook Levi’s intentions, because the man was standing before him, unzipping his pants. Levi’s mind was still trying to catch up when he looked dumbly up into Erwin’s face, heart pounding.

He opened his mouth to say _ what, _he wasn’t sure, but Erwin grabbed his face in his hand and held it shut. “Can’t you think of anything better to use your mouth for than insults?” 

Levi blinked up at him, still not sure if he was in the mood for this, right now. They hadn’t done this since the wall fell; there hadn’t been a good time. They’d barely had time at night for normal sex. So this was very out of the blue. Not to mention they were outside the walls on a dangerous mission. Sure, the area had been mostly cleared of titans and the base was secure, but was now the right time to be fooling around? He didn’t come to a conclusion before Erwin’s hand was squeezing his face, forcing his mouth open to accept his hard member. Out of habit, Levi relaxed his jaw to allow it safe entry.

He glared up at Erwin, fists clenching on the arms of the chair. He wasn’t really being given a chance to make up his mind about this. He tried to focus on the hot and heavy weight of Erwin in his mouth and the satisfied groan above him. Normally, the sensations were intoxicating and resulted in instant arousal, but Levi couldn’t feel any stirrings in his own pants. Not even as Erwin pushed in deep like he liked, forcing his throat to widen to accommodate Erwin’s thickness.

Levi lifted his hands to Erwin’s hips, preparing to push him away, but his wrists were grabbed in Erwin’s grip and forced away, intensifying the glare Levi was shooting Erwin. It occurred to him that even if he could speak, Erwin would only take whatever he said as part of the game.

At the dirty look Levi had thrown him, Erwin’s eyes had narrowed. Just as Levi had decided to put some force into stopping this, Erwin pulled out. Levi’s instincts had him immediately inhaling, but then the world was tilting as Erwin shoved the back of his chair. He crashed to the floor with a yelp, the chair actually splintering beneath him and breaking into several pieces. Then Erwin was upon him, weight on his chest, legs on either side of Levi’s face. And Erwin forced himself back into Levi’s mouth.

Levi couldn’t lift his arms. Erwin’s entire weight was on them. And normally his arms could lift Erwin’s entire weight, but not from a palm down position flat against the floor. His heart began to race, and not in the way he liked when they used to do this.

Erwin fucked his throat, and Levi… let him. What else could he do? Sure, he could bite down. That would send a clear message. But he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t Erwin’s fault he wasn’t into it this time. He had no way of knowing. Injuring the man when they had an unspoken deal would be wrong, Levi reasoned with himself. Especially injuring him while on a dangerous mission.

But maybe that was their mistake. They should’ve talked about this. As he lay there, choking on Erwin’s dick, but also on the dark and sticky emotions bubbling up from somewhere hidden deep within, he recalled Petra telling them they needed to set boundaries for this sort of thing. Of course, they never did, and now Levi was forced to face the consequences.

Logically, he knew this shouldn’t feel any different from any other time he’d let Erwin take him this way. But his throat was constricting, making it even harder to breathe around Erwin’s cock sliding in and out. Tears were forming in his eyes, both from the lack of air, and from the pain of feeling helpless. Especially because it was Erwin making him feel this way. Erwin, who used to make him feel free. He knew he was taking this the wrong way, thinking irrationally, but knowing that didn’t help. It didn’t stop his tears from falling.

That’s when Erwin leaned back on his heels and got a good look at him. The man’s cold eyes slowly widened as he took in Levi’s tears. The blood drained from his face as he realized something was horribly wrong. “Le-“

The door burst open, causing both of them to startle. “Commander! We-“

To Hanji’s credit, they only faltered for a moment at the scene before them. “W-We’ve received a message from Trost.”

Erwin and Levi’s eyes both widened. They didn’t _ get _ messages outside the walls. That would require sending a rider beyond the walls on their own.

Hanji’s head lowered in confirmation. “Wall Rose has been breached.”

“Prepare for departure.” Erwin ordered.

Hanji saluted, and just as they’d entered, they abruptly closed the door, leaving the two in private once more.

Erwin pulled his softening dick from Levi’s swollen lips and rose to his feet. Levi felt his eyes on him as he, too, got up from the floor. The alarming news had brought an abrupt end to Levi’s tears. A cold calm had washed over him, thankfully replacing the dark mixture of emotions he’d been drowning in before. He wiped his face, focused on the task before them of getting back to the walls and dealing with whatever situation they would encounter there.

“Levi…” he heard Erwin tentatively begin behind him.

“Later.” Levi’s voice was hoarse. He didn’t turn to see what expression Erwin would be wearing. He just left. 

He wasn’t mad, but he couldn’t talk to Erwin right now. He didn’t know what to say. There was a lot to be said between them, not limited to what had just happened. But now was not the time. They couldn’t worry about their own problems right now.. they had a wall full of people waiting to be saved. He just hoped that it wasn’t too late.

**Author's Note:**

> And that, folks, is why we talk about limits and safe words. I'm going to assume that bdsm isn't really widespread, or at least not acknowledged, within the SnK universe. So I guess they didn't have anyone to tell them- EXCEPT PETRA DID AND THEY DIDN'T LISTEN smh.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the read! I'll be hitting you all up with some illustrations for this story in the next few days while I start plotting up how to end this thing. (We all know how it has to end, sadly) Next installment will probably be the last if I can fit it all in.
> 
> On another note, I've been working on something super freaky for Halloween, so keep an eye out >:3


End file.
